"After all these years, Pokemon is still a GREAT game"

Pokemon (Or Pocket Monsters) was released in the United States in late 1998, and it took the nation (And the world) by storm. But behind the TV show, the card game, and the many rip-offs, their was and still is a fantastic video game. It was released in two versions: a Red and a Blue. What's the difference you may ask? Well, each version contained a slightly different set of the original 150 Pokemon. This really opened up the use of the Game Boy link cable, in which you HAD to find a friend with the other version of the game (But c'mon, who DIDN'T have this game?) in order to obtain all 150 Pokemon. Pokemon is an innovative and fun game that to this day deserves recognition in the video game hall of fame.

Gameplay/Story: Pokemon had some of the easiest and fun gameplay of all time. Pretty much you went around the world of Pokemon (Know known as "Kanto" thanks to the many new versions of Pokemon) trying to become the greatest Pokemon trainer of all time. Along the way you encounter many wild Pokemon that you can catch with the use of Pokeballs. You also battle Pokemon trainers as well as the 8 Gym Leaders. After you get all 8 Gym Badges, defeat the evil Team Rocket, and make your way through the world you may enter the Pokemon League and fight the Elite Four. Oh yeah, there's also a "Rival" character that you fight occasionally throughout your adventure. Pokemon is an RPG-esque game, with turn-based fighting. Your Pokemon fights another and levels up by winning battles. It learns new moves, and may eventually evolve into a stronger Pokemon (Ex. - Bulbasaur - Ivysaur - Venusaur). The battle system is easy (As in most RPGs), you execute an attack and your opponent takes damage. Easy. The gameplay is easy and the story was innovative and addictive.

Music/Audio: Well, first of all we have to remember that this was released in 1995 in Japan on the original Game Boy. Obviously, the music for a game of that age will be nothing but programmed bleeps and boops. However, it is very well done and has many catchy and upbeat tunes that suit the game well. There is no voice acting (Obviously), but the text is well translated and the dialogue sessions are not too long. Well done for its time.

Visual: The coloration in Pokemon is typical of a Game Boy game. The colors seem to change ever so slightly between red, blue, and green (The original three versions in Japan) on the Game Boy Color. The texture in the game is well done. The people actually look like people, the tall grass looks like bushes, the buildings look like buildings (However bland), rocks look like rocks, water is done well, and the lighting texture between outside and in cave areas is noticeable. Pokemon is visually appealing and for a game of the mid to late '90s is acceptable in this area.

Gameplay/Story: 10Music/Audio: 10Visual: 10

It has minor flaws, but these can easily be overlooked and this truely deserves 10/10. It is difficult to craft a master team of Pokemon (You only get to have 6 with you at a time, the others must be stored), so balancing types and movesets can take time to perfect. You need a well-rounded team to counter the 15 types of Pokemon you will encounter. So where the game is essentially easy, crafting to perfection is difficult. It may be late 2004 as I write this, but this game of 1998 brought back so many memories for me that I had to write a review. If you enjoy the nostalgia of the past and you were once a Pokemon fanatic as I once was, go dig Pokemon out of your piles of games, pop it back into your Game Boy, and prepare for a blast from the past.